Connection between Communications Gender Class and Diverse Children's Lit

This semester I am taking a Communications class called, Gender Communication. At the beginning of the year we talked a lot about the different theoretical approaches to gender. Some of these different theories included: biological theory, Psychodynamic theory, social learning theory, and cognitive development theory. While discussing these theories we also discussed intersexuals and the definition of sex along with androgyny. When we discussed these terms in our last class in regards to the LBGTQ community and their misuse or unknown definitions I immediately thought about the information we had learned in my Communications class. Another connection made between my Communications class and our diverse children's literature class is the overall stereotyping of gender in the media, press, and society in general. There are many gender stereotypes present within literature. For example when we read Project Mulberry, I noticed many gender stereotypes with Julie being the nurturer and caretaker of the worms and interested in sewing, and Patrick as the smart one who took control of their project.
All over the media in television shows, commercials, magazine ads, etc. gender stereotypes are present trying to show that girls and boys, women and men are different. Dr. John Gray has gone so far as to say that men and women are from different planets and he has made millions off his best selling books proving this point. In reality, the effect sizes for sex differences are only 15%. 85% of men and women overlap in their scores of small sex differences. It has also been stated within communication gender studies that gender stereotypes are more pervasive in this culture than racial or ethnic ones. At first I was surprised by this statement, but when I think about how normal it seems in our society to separate boys and girls in so many different aspects the statement takes me by less surprise. As teachers we need to keep in mind the stereotyping in literature along with the media, and in our own classrooms that goes on with gender. It is important that male and females have equal respect, treatment, and opportunity just like all the other minority groups we have discussed this semester.